Lake Malawi cichlids — species, locations & maps

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Maylandia lombardoi 'Mbenji Island'<br><font color=gray>Metriaclima lombardoi 'Mbenji Island'</font>

Genus:	Maylandia
Type locality:	Mbenji Island, Lake Malawi
Biotope:	Deep, sediment-rich rocky habitat. Occurs mainly at depths between 7 and 25 m.
Geographic distribution:	Endemic to the Mbenji Islands, where it is very common, and also occurring at Nkhomo Reef. Underwater observations show no consistent differences between populations from these localities.
Typical adult size:	In the wild, males reach about 11 cm total length, with females remaining about 10% smaller. In captivity, individuals may grow up to about 16 cm.
Sexual dimorphism:	Unique among mbuna in that females are blue with vertical bars, while adult males are entirely yellow. Males turn yellow at around 5 cm and never revert. Some mouth-brooding females may temporarily adopt yellow coloration but usually retain faint barring.
Recommended aquarium size:	At least 400 L, with a minimum length of 150 cm. Very large aquariums are required if more than one male is to be kept.
Aquarium setup:	A setup dominated by rocks forming many caves and hiding places, combined with open sandy areas without rocks. Due to strong male aggression, a ratio of at least 3–4 females per male is recommended. Best kept with other robust mbuna to help distribute aggression.
Diet:	Herbivorous. Feeds mainly on aufwuchs scraped from rocks, consisting largely of diatoms and cyanobacteria, but also consumes plankton from the water column.
Breeding:	Males defend territories centered around caves between rocks or burrows beneath rocks. Spawning occurs inside the cave. Clutches usually consist of 15–40 eggs. Females are maternal mouthbrooders and release the fry after about three to three and a half weeks, abandoning them immediately.
Aggression:	Highly aggressive both within the species and towards other species, especially males. One of the most aggressive mbuna.
Special notes:	Females show a strong visual preference for fully yellow males with a single large eggspot on the anal fin. Temporary yellow coloration has been observed in mouth-brooding females in both the wild and captivity.